Cochrane Lake and Monterra residents curious about future development that will one day surround them, made their way to a developer-held open house on Dec. 13 at Weedon Hall. MacDonald Development Corp., the Vancouver-based developer that built Watermark in Bearspaw, will undertake development of the 348 acres west of Range Road 43 – what once upon a time was to be Monterra Phases 3, 4 and 5. Referred to as the Cochrane Lake Village Neighbourhood Plan – this staged development includes 20 phases to develop over the next 20 years, market-dependent, with 108 lots in Phase One that could have houses move-in ready as early as 2023. This Cochrane Lake Village will offer less estate-style housing than what is planned in the adjacent Cochrane North plan led by Tulum Developments – 425 acres located north of Monterra Phase One and south of Weedon Trail. While some of the residents interviewed by the Cochrane Eagle seemed pleased to see draft plans to complete the development, many top of mind concerns for nearby rural residents attending the open house were storm water drainage and traffic. Clay Hardock grew up in Cochrane and currently lives on an acreage that backs onto Cochrane Lake hamlet. He is concerned with how such a development could impact his well pressure, noting that housing built near him since he purchased his property has reduced his well pressure. "Right now, in a heavy rainstorm, the water runs along the road, into the ditch and onto my property," said Hardock, expressing skepticism over how all the planned area development would impact Cochrane Lake. "It's a lake that already has drainage issues," he said, with reference to the complicated history of the former Monterra developer-turned-insolvent who neglected to install a proper discharge system in Cochrane Lake, which resulted in considerable flooding issues. These flooding issues impacted some of Monterra and plagued numerous homes in the old hamlet – longtime residents who were left frustrated with no compensation from Rocky View County of the province while their lawns were partially submerged under stagnant lake water from 2011-2017. Harvey Ziegler lives on an acreage one kilometre west of Highway 22 along Cochrane Lake Road. He is curious to see what will transpire in the years to come but has some concerns. "Traffic is one thing ... the other is the water system and whether we're going to be forced to join a water co-op," said Ziegler. Ken Till with MacDonald confirmed that the development won't move forward until the issue of water utilities can be dealt with. "The big issue is water and sewer service ... currently these services are owned by Horse Creek Water Services," said Till, explaining that the high rates have to be dealt with but that the issue of how to deal with the sewer utility is under appeal, as it is currently not a regulated service. MacDonald has been working co-operatively with Monterra Phase One condo board to push for the Alberta Utilities Commission for regulation of the sewer service. The utility commission can regulate water rates. The lots range from 40-feet to 80-feet wide and will likely sell for $400,000-$600,000 with lots brought to market for $200,000. The open house revealed that there will be some small commercial, retail, a boathouse, daycare and coffee shop spaces, but Till said the Shell service station at the corner of Highway 22 and Highway 567, and Cochrane grocery and retail centres would be the primary shopping destinations for residents. The total residential included in the plan is for 800 units, resulting in a maximum density of 2.44 units per acre. The site still needs to get land use re-designation from the county.
